5 things you may not know about Kate Middleton

Daughter of a pilot and a stewardess, Kate Middleton's wedding fulfilled the dream that all the children who have seen too many Disney films have secretly cultivated: to become a princess despite not having a noble birth. An ordinary person married to Prince William, second in line to the British crown, Catherine, won everyone's heart for her stately appearance, lovable nature and flawless style. As part of the royal family, she holds three titles: Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn when in Scotland and Lady Carrickfergus when in Northern Ireland, after her royal wedding at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The event was followed by millions of people around the world: at the time of her wedding, Kate was the oldest royal bride at the age of 29, surpassed then by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, when she married Prince Harry at 36 in 2018. As she celebrates her 40th birthday on January 9th, we share some essential facts about the beloved English princess, along with some rather absurd curiosities, from her allergy to horses to her kinship with George Washington.

First roommates, then a couple

It may seem absurd given the antiquated cornerstones of the English etiquette, but before they started dating, Kate and William were really roommates. The prince himself revealed it to Tom Bradby, during the couple's official engagement interview in 2010, when he said: "We moved in together as friends, we also lived with a couple of other tenants, and it just blossomed from there, really."

Several objects link her to Lady D.

According to a timeless British tradition, the bride's dress should have "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue", Kate honored this tradition, like others before her, when she married Prince William. For "something old", she had Sarah Burton design her wedding dress in traditional Irish Carrickmacross lace-making technique with hand-cut lace flowers added to ivory silk tulle. She wore diamond earrings given to her by her parents, which were "something new", Queen Elizabeth II's Cartier Scroll tiara, was the "something borrowed". The connection with Lady D is in "something blue", a ribbon inside the traditionally auspicious dress that was also sewn onto Princess Diana's dress when she married Prince Charles in 1981.

She is related to George Washington

The Middleton family has roots in America and not just any roots: as reported by CBS News, the New England Historical Genealogical Social initially found the ancestral link, apparently it is distantly related to the first president of the United States, George Washington.

The strange story of her engagement ring

The engagement ring with which Prince William sealed the marriage proposal has a story full of background, Prince Charles (father of W.) had always seen a beautiful sapphire brooch of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who had inherited it from Queen Victoria, and when he went into the House of Garrard jewelry and saw that ring, the iconic blue sapphire, he thought it was just perfect. However, despite the historical inspiration, the choice - according to Diana herself, as fans will remember from the fourth season of The Crown - proved controversial. The $ 60,000 ring was not a bespoke creation nor a family heirloom, meaning anyone who wanted to shell out the same amount could have owned exactly the same ring - a big break with tradition. Diana continued to love the ring and even wore it on a few occasions after she and Charles divorced. Upon the untimely death of the princess, Prince William and Harry could choose one of their mother's most cherished assets as a keepsake: William opted for the Cartier gold watch, while Harry chose the sapphire engagement ring. However, the story goes that once Harry saw William's love for Kate, he selflessly gave the inheritance to his brother in exchange for the watch.

 Her outfits weren't always flawless

Before becoming an icon of international style, with her impeccable and bon ton outfits and a flock of stylists and designers to guide her in the selection, Kate was the proud owner of a much more sober, yet much more kitschy, full wardrobe, made of simple white t-shirts, flared jeans and strange patterned dresses. Kate Middleton grew up in the countryside and had a penchant for country clothing, such as wedges, total denim and UGGs. No comment on her disco looks.